What I have learned in my upbringing was that God’s love and the benefit of one’s community by that love, trumps any law or any legally binding contract one signs.

I have decided to pen this letter to share my thoughts with you, as a Roncalli alumnus. I’ve struggled with being this open, as some of what I’m about to tell you, I don’t talk about too often. But I think it’s important that I share it.

I went to Catholic school for 13 years, culminating in graduating from Roncalli in 1998. My five siblings all graduated from Roncalli. My parents, my dad especially, have been very involved in church and Catholic education over the years, even long after us kids graduated. I was raised with a strong Catholic foundation, and Catholic education was always a priority in my family. I now have 15 nieces and nephews, all of them who are school age, attend Catholic schools. To say that Catholic schools are important in my family would be an understatement.

Also … I’m gay. I’ve been gay for as long as I remember. God made me in this way, in his image, and as I learned through my Catholic upbringing, God doesn’t make mistakes. It has taken me years to come to that acceptance and live as my authentic self. I didn’t come out until after I left Roncalli. I never even thought about coming out while in high school; it didn’t even seem fathomable then. However, it wasn’t much of a surprise to anyone when I came out, as all of the classic signs and stereotypes were there. Nevertheless, I want to make clear that I never felt discriminated against at Roncalli, and never felt that discrimination was acceptable. Roncalli was great foundation for me, and I enjoyed it very much.

When I came out at 21, I struggled. A lot. I knew I was gay, there was no doubt about that. The struggle was reconciling what I knew in my heart with what that looked life in everyday life. I didn’t know how to do that. I’d never seen how to do that. I didn’t know anyone else like me in my world, with my similar background, who did that. It was a struggle and I lived in constant fear. Fear of rejection, fear of retribution, fear of loneliness, just fear of everything.

The fear eventually became too much and I tried to commit suicide when I was 21. Luckily, I wasn’t successful. I got some help and got a little better, a little more comfortable. When I was 30, I got sober from drugs and alcohol. I’ve been a person in long-term recovery for almost eight years now. Recovery was pretty easy for me to latch on to because it was very similar to the tenets I had learned in my Catholic upbringing. Trust God. Clean House. Help Others. It’s that simple. I’ve stuck with that, and even when I’ve struggled over the years, that has been the recipe for inner peace and comfort with God, my family, and my community.

Now, on to why I’m writing you. I look at some of the students at Roncalli, who are being their authentic selves as gay people, and I’m in awe. I never had the courage to be that authentic at their age. I applaud them. I also applaud the message that I hear Roncalli has been sending them: You are welcome here, you are part of the family, we love you. However, the actions being taken against guidance counselor Shelly Fitzgerald —placing her on administrative leave for her same-sex marriage — are in direct contrast with those messages.

I get it, there is a contract. How many times has the Catholic Church over the years used the law of the land to dictate what their choices should be made? What I have learned in my upbringing was that God’s love and the benefit of one’s community by that love, trumps any law or any legally binding contract one signs.

Instead of arguments about the contract, whether it’s right or wrong, legal or not, if there is a loophole, I call for you to look at the opportunity you have here. Somewhere in a south deanery school, there is a 7th grader who is starting to realize their sexuality, like I did. They’re scared, like I was. They wonder, like I did. What they’re seeing now is petrifying for them. They see that they’ll be accepted by their peers at Roncalli, and that the administration and the archdiocese says they’re welcome there and loved. But after they leave Roncalli and decide to maybe work there as a teacher, a coach, or a guidance counselor, that love has conditions? Will those conditions eventually trickle down to the student body? Is this the beginning of some bigger shift by the school? What will it be like in two years when they’re there?

Having someone like Fitzgerald at the school could have been helpful for me when I was in school. Someone who has a life outside of school, while directly against a teaching of the Catholic church, but guides and counsels at the school anyway. Think of the difference she could make for someone in a similar situation. She probably already has and you might not even know it.

I can’t help but wonder that if someone like Fitzgerald was at Roncalli when I was there, would I have had the same struggle over the years. Would I have been able to deal with my own inner conflict sooner? Would things have been different for me? I by no means blame Roncalli, I want to be clear, but having someone who knowingly identifies as LGBTQ might have helped me just enough for things to have been different for me, sooner rather than later.

Don’t let what happened to me happen to a future or current student. Fitzgerald is there for a reason. The opportunity for her to continue the good she’s doing and potentially change a life is a benefit that far outweighs any possible breach of a contract.

Tony Dale

Roncalli Class of 1998

Indianapolis

Trump shamefully denies Puerto Rico deaths

In the past few days, President Donald Trump unabashedly and cruelly denied the updated toll of deaths suffered in Puerto Rico as a result of Hurricane Maria. Although the previous official death tally from the island was around 64, a study conducted by George Washington University’s School of Public Health concluded, in a report issued in late August, that the actual number of deaths attributable to the impact of Hurricane Maria was around 2,975. The study was based on a detailed review of death certificates in the six months following the hurricane and a statistical comparison to typical mortality rates for periods without such emergency conditions. Although the study has been widely accepted as accurate, the president, in a tweet Thursday morning, flatly rejected the study results, denying that “3,000 people” died “in the two hurricanes that hit Puerto Rico” last fall. Instead, Trump remarkably claimed the higher death count was produced by the Democrats to make him look bad, when in fact it was produced by a nonpartisan institution. The president needs no help in looking bad. Almost without exception, President Trump fails to accept the responsibilities of the presidency, as expressed by former President Truman that “the buck stops here.” Moreover, either President Trump lives in an alternate reality, or he tries continually to make the public believe in such an alternate reality in which everything he does is above reproach. This only confirms the criticisms of Trump emanating from the White House as reported by Bob Woodward in his new book. Heaven help us all.

Larry Kane

Carmel

Nike, Kaepernick deny an American respite

Dear Nike:

First off, you make great shoes!

But let’s just be honest with each other here, Colin Kaepernick is ungrateful. Kaepernick is one of the few blessed men who was given the opportunity to realize the dream of millions of young men, to play football in the NFL and make money. He alone has ruined his career.

I won’t agree, disagree nor take a stand on whether the police in America target or abuse African Americans more than any other race. I’m ignorant on that subject. I’m a white Irish/Italian American and I have empathy for anyone abused by misuse of force. Shooting or killing anyone regardless of color is the last resort and only if your life is in danger. I love my black and my white family.

My issue is with Nike honoring a man who has taken on the wrong enemy. The enemy is anyone who misuses their power. If Kaepernick would look in the mirror, he would see that he is doing the exact same thing that he protests, misusing his celebrity status to injure and maim the institution that gave him his celebrity status in the first place. That is disingenuous and disloyal. The NFL is not guilty of anything. In fact, the NFL strictly enforces and is intolerant to the misuse and abuse of power.

Kaepernick, and now Nike, have ruined the place where millions of us go to get away from the hatred and abuse of this society. The NFL was one of the few places we could go, for a few hours a week, for a respite from hatred, protest, racial division, Democrat/Republican, political correctness, etc. The NFL is a place where pride is restored, where all races celebrate victory and loss together, as one colorless society. The NFL is not your enemy.

I don’t like the high price of gasoline for my vehicle, so today, I am going to protest outside of my children’s school. My sister was going to Hilton Head this weekend, but the hurricane stopped that from happening, I suggested to her that she should then boycott Walmart. Does any of that make sense? Our society has become absurd. What in God’s creation does the NFL have to do with police brutality? What does the flag that stands for freedom and liberty for all say about police brutality? It says that it is unacceptable. So why protest the flag? Kaepernick, Nike, go stand in front of a police station and do your protest there.

Two kids from the opposing team at my son’s high school soccer team knelt or didn’t stand for the National Anthem last night and it bothered me. Instead of focusing on my son, my mind was on those two kids whose fathers likely told them what to do, because I’m certain that they would rather be playing soccer and Fortnite. No one there last night was affirming police brutality, we were there to celebrate sport and sportsmanship. Take your fight to the right place and give me back my place of respite.

President Trump must also start acting like a president and stop chiming in on subjects things like this. He is adding fuel to this wildfire. He should stop using Twitter and listen to his advisers, it’s not weak to say nothing. He should try humility; it looks good on anyone who wears it and it never goes out of style.

Finally, I’m so glad my kid's club soccer team switch to Adidas this year.

Jeff Pinyot

Fishers

Indiana must tackle on-the-job smoking

At Jasper Engines and Transmissions, we are proud of our 2,300 associate-owners and the products and services we provide, together. In our 76-year history, there isn’t any challenge we have not overcome. Yet, we are facing a significant challenge today where we need more state-level attention and support: tobacco use.

Tobacco use among our full-time hires in Indiana is 25 percent. Among those aged 21 and under it is 28 percent. The higher rate among our young workers is believed to be impacted by by our state’s opioid epidemic, vaping and other trends. Both rates are higher than the state average of 21 percent.

Smoking hurts our workforce. We all know by now what tobacco does to the body. So many debilitating diseases — career-ending diseases — are linked to tobacco, especially cancer. We are truly concerned for the quality of life of our associate-owners.

We are also concerned about the financial impact it has on them and our company. Simply put, we have a health care crisis. Costs are going up year after year. Every dollar we spend on medical care, including complications from tobacco use, there is less going back to associate-owners, their families, and to our local Jasper and state economy.

Something has to change, but we can’t do it alone. We already offer comprehensive health coverage. We already offer financial incentives to quit tobacco usage, including for many spouses. We already connect associates to coaching and provide support to quit tobacco. We are rated as a five-star wellness company by the Wellness Council of Indiana.

In a tight labor market — unemployment is just 2 percent in Dubois County — we don’t have the luxury of banning smoking on our campus or taking other drastic measures. It is time for the state of Indiana to do more to prevent tobacco use to begin with among youth and to help reduce tobacco use on-the-job.

There are three common-sense public policies that would make a huge difference for employers and our workforce all across our state.

First and foremost, our per-pack cigarette tax is under $1 and lower than even Kentucky. A significant increase — health advocates recommend $2 per-pack — would help 70,000 working-age adults quit smoking. It would also protect 58,000 youth, our future workforce, from ever starting. Who wants their child to smoke?

Second, we need more local tobacco cessation support that employers and employees can access. Two-thirds of smokers want to quit, but a person doesn’t typically wake up overnight and quit. It is only fair that the cigarette tax pay for more coaching and other assistance.

Finally, a unique law in Indiana limits what companies can do to slow the influx of tobacco users into their workforce. That needs to change. Companies should be trusted to make prudent decisions when it comes to the health of their current and future workforce.

All of these solutions would allow Indiana to tackle tobacco use the right way — by preventing it to begin with or tackling it on-the-job. Smoking hurts our company. Smoking hurts our workforce. Help us to help our workforce — our associate-owners — and their families.

You can learn more about this challenge and the benefits of a cigarette tax increase at smokinghurtsourworkforce.com. Together, let’s urge Indiana lawmakers to tackle this issue the right way and finally take key steps to reduce tobacco use among our talented workforce.

Linda Goeppner

Director of Corporate Compliance and Health Care, Jasper Engines

Trump's troubles overshadow accomplishments

I appreciate the Sept. 2 column by Gary Varvel, "Why the Mueller wins haven't shaken Trump voters," and respect his opinion. However, unlike Varvel, I cannot look past the lying, the intimidation of the press, the derogatory comments about many private American citizens, the poor treatment of cabinet and congressional members, the tearing down of our Justice Department, the refusal to submit tax returns, the repeated indiscretions with women while married, and more things to numerous to list. All this in exchange for a tax break that only helps wealthy Americans. I have a feeling the final "Mueller wins" will shake Varvel much more.